Suction cleaning tool having resilient surface engaging fingers



Aprll 1957 w. e. SECK SUCTION CLEANING TOOL. HAVING RESILIENT SURFACE ENGAGING FINGERS Flled Sept 17, 1953 mvszvroa Werner 6 Seek ATTORNEY Ill:

n t es Patent Ice gm. $12 312? SUCTION CLEANING TOOL HAVING RESILIENT SURFACE ENGAGING FINGERS Werner G. Seek, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 17, 1953, Serial No. 380,790

2 Claims. (Cl. -402) The present invention relates to cleaning tools for use with suction cleaners, and more particularly to a resilient nozzle lip structure to penetrate the pile of a floor covering to remove the dirt therefrom. 1

An object of the invention is to provide a nozzle having resilient fingers to dislodge litter entangled in the pile of a rug. Another object is to provide a nozzle having a brush to loosen embedded dirt which is thereafter lifted off the pile of the rug by resilient fingers and removed therefrom by a suction air stream. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and drawing wherein:

Figure l is a view of the nozzle adapted to be attached to a suction cleaner;

Figure 2 is a section of the nozzle showing the cleaning action of the brush when the nozzle is moved forwardly over the rug;

Figure 3 is a section showing the cleaning action of the resilient fingers when the nozzle is moved rearwardly over the rug; and

Figure 4 is a section along the line 4--4 of Figure 2.

The embodiment of the invention herein disclosed comprises a hollow nozzle body 10 attached to a rigid wand 11 adapted to be attached to a suction cleaner in a manner well known in the art. The nozzle body 10 has a passageway 18 connected by a suitable swivel joint 23 to an elbow 24 to which the lower end of the wand 11 is removably attached. The nozzle body 10 is provided with a front wall 25 and opposite side walls 26 which terminate in a marginal flange 27. A plastic boot 28 encloses the nozzle body 10 and has a portion 29 covering the edge of the marginal flange 27.

A nozzle bottom plate 30 for the body 10 is attached to the latter by a pair of screws 31 and is provided with an upstanding marginal flange 32 which bears against the boot portion 29 to secure the latter to the marginal flange 27 of the body 10. The nozzle plate 30 is provided with an elongated nozzle inlet 33 for the passageway 18, and a substantially U-shaped flange 35 defines the rear lip 34 of the inlet and has a portion 36 which extends along the surface of the nozzle rear 'wall 37. The nozzle plate 30 extends to the opposite ends of the body 10 and is provided with downwardly projecting skids 38 which define the end walls of the nozzle inlet 33, and each skid has surface cont-acting portions 39, 40 and 41, the front and rear portions 39 and 41 being inclined upwardly from the central portion 40. A portion 42 on the nozzle plate 30 beneath the front part of the flange 27 is positioned above the lower edge of the skids 38 to form a channel shaped passageway 19 above the nap 43 of a rug 44.

Disposed between the front portion 42 of the nozzle plate 30 and the lower surface of the body flange 27 is an elongated resilient member 45 extending between the skids 38. The member 45 is keyed to the flange 27 as indicated at 46, and the screws 31 urge the nozzle plate portion 42 upwardly against the resilient member 45. The rear portion 47 of the member 45 is solid and extends vertically downwardly from a point 48 in the air passageway 18 and terminates in a plurality of spaced resilient fingers 49 which may be formed of rubber or suitable resilient plastic material. The fingers 49 define the front lip 50 of the nozzle inlet 33 and are inclined downwardly and rearwardly toward the nozzle rear lip 34. The fingers 49 are rectangular in cross-section and the lower ends 51 are spaced above the skid portion 40 and lie substantially in the same plane as the surface engaging portion of the nozzle rear lip 34. Between the fingers 49 are spaces 52 to permit air to pass therethrough into the passageway 18 for removing litter from the fingers 49.

A brush housing 55 is formed between the nozzle rear wall 37 and a wall 56 in which is adjustably mounted a brush 57 provided with bristles 58. The brush 57 is mounted in the housing 55 in a manner similar to that disclosed in the patent to Herbert W. Wilson, No. 2,734,215 dated February 14, 1956, and willnot be described in detail. A pair of springs 59 are seated between the housing top wall 60 and the brush to at all times urge the bristles 58 outwardly of the housing into engagement with the rug nap 43, and such outward movement is limited by a flange 61 on the brush engaging a tang 62 on the upwardly extending wall 63 of the U-shaped flange 35 on the nozzle plate.

In order to retain the bristles 58 upwardly in the chember 55 out of engagement with the rug 44 a latch spring 54 is secured by a rivet 65 to the nozzle rear wall 37 and ext-ends upwardly and then rearwardly through a slot 66 in the housing rear wall 56 and an opening 67 in the boot 28, and terminates in an actuating plate 68. A tang 69 is formed on the spring 64 to engage the flange 61 on the brush to hold the bristles 58 above the rug 44. The brush is released from its inoperative position by moving the plate 68 towards the housing 55 to shift the tang 69 out of engagement with the flange 61 and thereafter the springs 59 urge the bristles below the skid portions 41 into engagement with the rug nap 43.

In operating the device with the brush in retracted inoperative position the skids 38 support the nozzle on the mg 44 so that the bristles 58 are out of engagement with the pile 43 and the resilient fingers 49 engage the map. Cleaning air flows through the rug nap 43 beneath the nozzle rear lip 34, and also flows through the channel shaped air passageway 19 through the rug nap 43 and then through the spaces 52 between the resilient fingers 49 into the air passageway 18. Movement of air through the spaces 52 between the resilient fingers 49 removes the litter which has collected upon the fingers 49 whereby the litter is carried by the air stream to the suction cleaner. If the condition of the rug pile 43 is such that the skids 38 support the extreme ends of the fingers 49 spaced above the pile, the operator can exert a force upon the nozzle body 10 to bring the fingers 49 into engagement with the nap and remove litter entangled therein. Thereafter, the air passing between the resilient fingers 49 removes the litter therefrom.

It will be noted the resilient fingers 49 are inclined downwardly and rearwardly towards the nozzle rear lip 34 and accordingly upon the forward stroke of the nozzle the ends 51 of the fingers do not tend to dig into the nap. However, upon the rearward stroke of the nozzle, the resilient fingers 49 pass along the upper ends of the pile 43 to flex the pile in the direction of nozzle movement, and after the fingers 49 pass over the ends of the pile the latter is free to move to its normal vertical position. Such displacement of the pile 43 by the resilient fingers 49 during the rearward movement of the nozzle loosens the dirt within the nap and the air stream removes the litter from the fingers 49. The lower ends of the fingers 49 tend to bend due to restriction of the rug pile 43 and essence upon returning to. normal position raise litter 'frointhe nap.

If the device is" operated with the brush 57' in its projected position so that the bristles 58 engage the rug nap 43, then upon the forward stroke as shown in Figure 2, the bristles 58 dig into the nap 43 of the rug andremove embedded litter therefrom, Some of the removed litter is moved forwardly of the brush 57 and in addition some of the litter clings t the extreme ends of the bristles 58. On the rearward stroke of the cleaning tool the litter which has been removed by the brush, as indi-. cated at 75, is picked up by the resilient fingers 49 from the carpet nap so that the air stream passing through the.

channel 19 and the spaces 52 between-the flexible fingers removes the litter from the latter for passage through the nozzle'body to the cleaner casing. It w-ill'be noted from Figure 3 that on therearward stroke ofthe nozzle body the extreme ends of the bristles 58are fiexedin the opposite direction than during the forward stroke and and cause the litter clinging to the surface of the carpet.

to be removed by the suction air stream.

If the nap 43 is matted into the base of the rug 44,

the resilient fingers 49 enter the matted'pile to raise thev latter to a vertical position whereby a-ir passes more easily through the pile to remove litter therefrom and enhance the appearance of the rug.

While I have shown and described but one embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not Wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but to include all equivalent variations except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A cleaning tool comprising a body having a nozzle provided with an elongated'inlet for dirt removed from a pile surface- -being cleaned and adapted"-tobeconnectetl to a source of suction, means defining a first lip for one side of said inlet, means defining a second" lip for the opposite side of said inlet and including a portion extending along the length of said inlet and having spaced substantially straight fingers of readily yieldable resilient material projecting downwardly therefrom and inclined toward said first lip, skid means at the opposite ends of said inlet engaging the pile surface to support said body thereon and projecting below said resilient fingers to space said second lip above the bottom of said skid means to form an air passageway beneath said second lip with the surface being cleaned, said spaced resilient fingers projecting downwardly into said airpassageway for flow of air therebetween to said inlet, plate means rigidly securing said second lipporti-on a-longits full length to said nozzle body and extending between said skid means to form a part of said air passageway, said straight resilient fingers being arranged for penetration. into. the

pile surface to'deflect the latter and lift the litter.fromthe pile surface into the air stream passing through :said. passageway during movement of said nozzle along thesurface, said resilient fingers being flexible to benddownwardly into the pile surface under the force of restrictions in the pile surface and when released therefrom flexing upwardly to raise the litter into the air stream passing.

through the spaces between said fingers.

2. A cleaning tool as described 'in claim.1,.anda brush mounted on said body along said first lip, said skid meanssupporting said brush for engagement with the pile SUI face.

References Cited in the file of' this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,038,517 Ball Sept. 17, 1912.- 1,899,107 Riebel Feb. 28, 1933 1,936,369 Riebel Nov. 21, 1933 1,994,868 Replogle Mar. 19, 193.5 2,228,091 Smith Jan- 7, 1941 2,616,120 Erling Nov. 4,1952 2,717,409 Dr audt Sept. 13, 19.55v

FOREIGN PATENTS 487,883 Great Britain June 28, 1938 

